Boris Karloff
| image = | birth name = William Henry Pratt | known aliases = | gender = | mediums = Film; Television | roles = | date of birth = November 23rd, 1887 | place of birth = Camberwell, London, England | date of death = February 2nd, 1969 | place of death = Midhurst, Sussex, England | notable works = Frankenstein The Bride of Frankenstein | first = The Old Dark House (1932) }} Boris Karloff was a British actor originally born William Henry Pratt of Camberwell, London, England. He was born on November 23rd, 1887 and passed away on February 2nd, 1969 in Sussex at the age of 81. He is considered one of the most iconic actors in the horror genre and was primarily active during the 1930s and 40s, but also appeared in numerous genre featured in the 1950s and up until his death in 1969. Career Karloff is one of the most memorable icons of the classic age of horror cinema and is best remembered for being the first actor to immortalize the role of the Frankenstein Monster in James Whale's 1931 classic Frankenstein. The part was originally slated for Bela Lugosi, who had already achieved screen recognition playing the role of Count Dracula earlier that year in Dracula. According to conflicting accounts, Lugosi turned down the role and the part was then given over to Karloff. Boris resumed the part for Whale's 1935 sequel The Bride of Frankenstein. In this film, Karloff's character was given dialogue whereas in the previous film he was just a mute monster. Karloff didn't care for the dialogue scenes in The Bride of Frankenstein, as he felt it robbed the character of its mystique. Karloff would go on to play the role one final time in 1939's Son of Frankenstein. Although this was his last film as the Frankenstein monster, it was not in fact, his final Frankenstein role. In 1944, Karloff came back to the franchise, this time as the antagonistic mad scientist Doctor Gustav Niemann in House of Frankenstein. The monster in this film was played by Glenn Strange. Although Karloff was done with Frankenstein films, he never strayed far from the horror genre. He appeared in dozens of films during the 1930s and 40s, usually playing opposite Bela Lugosi. Karloff and Lugosi's first film together was 1934's The Black Cat. In the film, Karloff played architect Hjalmar Poelzig, a man who matched wits against Lugosi's Vitus Werdergast. Karloff's character was named for German art director Hans Poelzig. In total, Karloff and Lugosi would star in eight films together including The Invisible Ray, Son of Frankenstein, The Raven, Black Friday, The Body Snatcher, You'll Find Out and the aforementioned The Black Cat. In addition to the Frankenstein mythos and his work with Bela Lugosi, Karloff is known for introducing another horror-film icon to the silver screen. In 1932 (a year after Frankenstein), Karloff played the role of Imhotep in Universal's The Mummy. Although The Mummy spawned four sequels, Karloff only appeared in the first one. The subsequent films featured a mummy named Kharis who was played by Lon Chaney, Jr. Karloff later brought his talent to another famous franchise when he played himself in the 1949 comedy Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. Karloff teamed up with the comedy pair again in 1953, this time playing Doctor Henry Jekyll in Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In 1958, Karloff returned to his Frankenstein roots, this time playing the Doctor in the film Frankenstein 1970. Boris continued to star in various genre films throughout the 1960s and 70s including Corridors of Blood, The Haunted Strangler, Die, Monster, Die! and a comedy remake of The Raven, playing opposite Vincent Price and Peter Lorre. Karloff's final film was the obscure 1971 movie, ''The Incredible Invasion, which was released posthumously. Boris Karloff passed away on February 2nd, 1969 in Midhurst, Sussex, England. Body of work Film Television Incomplete Notes & Trivia * Outside of the horror genre, Boris Karloff is also known for providing the voice to the Grinch in the 1966 animated film How the Grinch Stole Christmas! * Boris Karloff was the host of two comic book magazines published by Dell during the 1960s: Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery and Boris Karloff Thriller. External Links * * * * Boris Karloff at Wikipedia ---- Category:1887 births Category:1969 deaths